


Apollo's Daphne

by rosesbelair



Category: Euphoria (TV 2019)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Best Friends, Character Death, Love/Hate, Paranoia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-29
Updated: 2020-08-05
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:21:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,828
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25590493
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosesbelair/pseuds/rosesbelair
Summary: Rue's return from rehab triggers a series of events that lead to Mia and Nate finding themselves in the middle of the forest with a cadaver during the town carnival.(largely canon in the first quarter, with the involvement of Mia, the OC)feedback appreciated, new and unchartered territory.
Relationships: Nate Jacobs/Original Female Character(s), Rue Bennett/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 15





	1. Prologue

Prologue 

We were just kids. That’s what they’d say right? It was the violent video games, the single-parent house-holds, the drugs epidemic. Anything, but _who we were_. We stood over Jules’s body—it felt easier to look down at her than to look around, because only then would this become a reality. A minute had passed by before I made the brave attempt to look up at Nate. His eyes were locked on Jules’s face, not really her eyes but somewhere around her mouth, like he was itching for a gasp to escape her lips so he can let out the breath of air he had been holding on to for the past minute. 

“Nate—”, before I could utter the words, the half empty beer bottle held tightly in his hand found itself smashed into a nearby tree. He fell onto his knees as he cradled his head with his arm. A mournful cry left his throat. A naive mind would say it was for Jules. It wasn’t. He was mourning the intricate web of deception, untold truths and the elaborate image he had set up for himself. The entitlement of it all. 

“Nate, we have to keep quiet,” I whispered, but he persisted. He began pacing back and forth while I continued to stare back at the corpse. The lips were still pink, her face still flush from the alcohol, but the eyes were loosely closed showing no sign of flickering lids. A few more minutes passed, before a shower of rain began to wash away the soil. Panic was slowly rushing into my veins and my vision began to darken around the peripherals. Only Nate was in focus. 

“I really think we should leave now. The rain will wash away our footprints.” He didn’t move. 

“It’s all fucking over,” he repeated to himself. A wave of anger washed over me as I kneeled over and grabbed his face in both my hands. Holding back the tide of adrenaline rippling over my skin, my eyes found his, coldly; the dominance in my stare gripped him. 

“Nate, fucking look at me. You can sit here and drown in self-pity or you can run as fast as you fucking can. All I know is I’m not going down with you. Not with _you_.” I got up off of my knees to stand in front of him. A look of realisation swept over his face. He stood up too. We both looked down at Jules for the last time. 


	2. Manic Rue

Since freshman year, McKay and Jacobs, the undeclared gods of East Highland High, throw a party as a gesture of mercy to mere mortal students the night before the school semester begins. I used to think it was a community thing, but it was becoming more and more clear that it was a status-quo reset button. For two years now, I’ve pretended to go—I mean it’s not like anyone will remember—and it worked in my favour every time. This year was different however, and it wasn’t because I, or the status-quo changed. Rue was back this summer and things were just… _different_.

Rue Bennett and I have been neighbours since the day I was born. She was always a troubled kid, but not in a way that made her inconsolable. She laughed all the time before freshman year; when she had her moments they could last days, weeks even and I was okay to wait it out. It was okay because it had always been this way. Then Mr Bennett passed away when we were thirteen. Rue didn’t cry much on the night, and I wished the vacancy in her eyes was a sign of sorrow; it was something stronger.

You may ask: and how exactly do two thirteen year old’s get over the death of a father and father-figure? In all the _best_ ways: Oxy, marijuana, Xanax. While the teen angst wore away by the time I turned fifteen, Rue’s turned into a stronger poison. She wasn’t angsty, there was no anger in her heart towards anything, it was just deep pain.

“Is this how it’s going to be when we start high school?” I asked once. We were high off our heads in her bedroom, limbs sprawled on the mattress like the outlines of the cadavers you’d see in those crime movies. Rue’s body stayed still as her head turned towards me.

“Mia, you have your whole life ahead of you,” she paused, and took another drag, “you know, I can’t even remember anything between the ages eight to twelve.The world moved fast and my brain moved too slow.” She turned her whole body on her side towards me. Her cold hands turned my head to see her face."I don’t mind losing a couple more years, but you don’t have to stay on this sinking ship, okay? Promise me you’ll leave when it’s time to.” Before I knew it, my head began to nod while my eyes shut slowly.

A year later, I stuck to her word. Freshman year began, and it was myself, Rue and Lexi Howard. Sophomore year came around and suddenly it was myself and Lexi. Eventually, it became just me. The vacant look in her eye that one night when Mr Bennett passed resurfaced that sophomore year…and it never quite faded. It was hard to watch a soulmate fall through roof after roof with no end in sight, so I stopped watching and in time, I stopped caring.

It’s hard to say how I felt that same spring when Rue flatlined in her home while I had my headphones plugged into my ears, listening to some podcast about the spike in teen abortions or whatever-the-fuck. Apparently, Gia’s screams were so loud they reached the third house down, resulting in an assemblage of worried neighbours around their front yard. I only noticed when the blue lights of the sirens hit the mirror in my bedroom, and my chest tightened knowingly. I still recall Ms Bennett’s screams as her daughter was wheeled into the ambulance… _my baby, no my baby!_.

And in some sick, twisted way a voice in my head spoke to me: _I told you so_.

I knew Rue was back but I chose not to see her. Ma noticed pretty quickly while we were sat for dinner on the night.

“Rue’s back from rehab, cara mio,” I looked up from my dinner plate, my eyes darting aimlessly. There was nothing to say but I tried anyway.

“Yeah Ma, I know…yeah.” My legs began to swing on the chair.

“Mia, you haven’t even asked about her. I raised you better than this,” her Italian accent became particularly thick when she grew angry.

“Look I’ll go over there right now,” I stood up and grabbed my jacket off the couch, “I’ll say hi, make small talk, and that will be that. Will that make you happy?” Ma walked over, ran her hands through my hair and smiled.

“Actually…Leslie said Rue was planning on staying over at Lexi’s —”,

“Ma, no,” I tried to move her hands away from my hair.

“And she really wanted someone close to keep an eye on her,” Ma was looking at me expectantly.

“You didn’t say yes did you?” I said, flatly. My eyebrows were drawing in as I realised that tonight would be one of those long nights.

“How could I say no, cara?” she said as she kissed my forehead with a sense of finality.

My bedroom mirror was in front of me and I realised I hadn’t changed much since freshman year. I still had the same blunt cut shoulder-length hair. I still wore the same pair of washed out denim jeans with the rip in the left knee—Rue and I were shoplifting once in the mall and we ran so fast, I tripped over the pavement and we kept laughing and laughing and I don’t recollect the moment when we stopped. We were obviously high but Rue was on some stronger stuff back then. I wonder if she still remembers that day or if it was left with the rest of the backlog of memories from her early adolescence.

I tied up the laces on my sneakers, grabbed my phone and left for the door. Rue’s house was altogether about twelve steps away from mine, and if this was two years ago, I would’ve ran over to the front door. Today it was a slow-paced walk. A slight reluctance creeped in as I rang the doorbell.

“It’s okay, I’ll eat something when I—,” and the door opened. Rue and I were face to face and for a few seconds, no one spoke until Ms Bennett’s head popped through the door.

“Mia! Oh Rue, I asked Ms Durante if Mia could join you like the old days,” her smile was stretched from ear to ear. Rue’s expressionless face made me nervous for the first time; I understood I wasn’t quite sure what version of Rue I was dealing with.

“Yes. Sure.Why not.” She was high. She was high and she knew I knew.

“Okay then girls, have a nice night. Make sure you get to sleep on time,” she waved goodbye as we walked away from Ms Bennett’s place. I grabbed my bike as she strolled along. Her _no biking while inebriated_ rule was still in place. It was quiet for a while before Rue spoke up after she cleared her throat.

“So, McKay’s throwing one of those yearly parties tonight.” My pace slowed down before I stopped.

“Yeah…I’m not sure it’s going to be one of those nights, Rue,” I spoke, as my nerves were increasing, unknowing of her reaction. She took down her hood. Her eyebrow was raised, her eyes were wide and it wasn’t just the drugs. I sighed and rubbed my temples in realisation.

“You were never going to Lexi’s were you?” Rue’s mouth turned quickly into a grin. Manic Rue. Better than depressive Rue. Manic Rue was workable.

“Oh come on, Mia. _Like the old days_ , remember,” she mimicked her mother’s enthusiastic tone and she giggled. The hum of a car was growing as it approached closer to us, its light hit us, then the window rolled down as the smell of weed leaked out into the air.

“Dude, that’s Rue, oh my god,” Kat Hernandez stuck her head out the window with an amused look across her face. Maddie Perez forced out a chuckle,

“Wait, didn’t Rue like…die?” They all burst out in laughter. I thought I wouldn’t have to put up with that sound at least until the school semester began. Kat offered her a ride and Rue looked over her shoulder to me, her head tilted to the side like a dog.

“Mia, I’m going to McKay’s party,” she said flatly. I didn’t say anything as she turned back to the girls, “Why, thank you.” She got into the back, leaving me on the side of the road.

“And what about?…” Maddy trailed off while another wave of laughter flooded the car. Rue looked at me through the glass, too high to feel embarrassed—we used to make jokes about girls like these.

“It’s Mia. And I’m good,” I gestured to my ride. They rolled up the window and rode off. I picked my bike up from the middle of the empty road. The burden of decision fell heavy on my shoulders. _Go, stay, go, stay._ The tight feeling in my chest I had the day Rue flatlined overcame me for a brief moment. Sat on the bike seat, my feet began peddling forward. I guess McKay had space for one more mere mortal tonight. 


	3. The Party

The annoyance towards Rue was unified with the uncomfortable rattle in my ears as I walked through the hallways of the house. I could see Cassie on the staircase, Lexi’s sister, though one wouldn’t typically associate the two with one another without knowing. Despite the countless number of sleepovers with Lexi, not much was exchanged between us about Cass. She used to be heavily invested in ice-skating from what Lex had told me.

I climbed the first step with hopes of a potential conversation to quickly deduce Rue’s exact location. Before I could, McKay joined Cassie and I halted. McKay and I have never interacted and that’s exactly why one should be apprehensive—his association with Nate Jacobs is enough reason to stay away. Cassie peered up at me and gave a small smile, an invitation to move closer but I did not accept. She always has this sad glint in her eyes, a desperateness almost, for what exactly? I couldn’t guess. I understood the nature of McKay and Cass’s relationship as they leaned into one another. An unlikely pairing considering McKay was so focused on his career, while Cass’s movements seemed whimsical, dictated by whatever fate dragged her into, regardless of her personal wants and needs. I stepped back and moved towards the living room; the stench of weed, alcohol and sweat tangled together. The sweet, but not sweet, smell of adolescent living. It was familiar and surprisingly comfortable, as for a large part of our early teens it was all Rue and I knew.

Eventually, I found Fez and Rue sat on a couch in the patio, deep in conversation. Rue’s friendship with Fez was a double-edged sword; he supplied her with powdered kryptonite, the sole reason why she is where she is now. Why Ms. Bennett feels afraid to fall into deep sleep at night incase Gia’s screams go unheard; why Mia is standing in the middle of party she shouldn’t be at right now. As I approached them, Rue and Fez adjusted their positions so there was room for me to sit directly in between.

“Mia, where the fuck have you been?” Fez drawled as he put his arms around my shoulder—it’s quite difficult to assume his sobriety at any given point in time.

“You know I’m off that shit Fez, you should try it,” I laughed, while peering over at Rue, whose eyes were fixated on the rim of her bottle.

“You know how it goes Mia.” Rue took a deep intake of breath, chuckling as she spoke.

“You used to be so much more fun Mia, what happened?” She took a drag of the spliff in her other hand and exhaled almost too aggressively. Rue sounded mad.

“Well, I got off the sinking ship. Like you told me to. Remember.” My tone was off and I knew better than to respond to her in this state. She was itching for an opportunity to lash out, to tip herself over the edge, so she could find a valid reason to numb her pain, almost as though she would be doing us a favour if she felt nothing at all.

“Fuck you,” she said abruptly, while I nodded in defeat. I could take that one, as I did with a lot of the things she said when she was manic. I turned toward her.

“You know, the day you OD’ed I had my headphones in. Gia’s cries sounded so faint before I took them out.” Rue sighed.

“Why are you telling me this?” Her eyes rolled, her voice maintaining a nonchalant tone but I could sense a growing irritation while a small well of tears gathered in her eyes.

“Because you didn’t have to hear it. And I fucking did. You were busy flatlined in the middle of your fucking bedroom.” I angrily slammed my back against the couch, an exertion of emotion I could not process in any other way, “God, I wish I never took them out,” my hands began to rub my temple. Rue didn’t seem to have a response.

“I'm too high to be having this conversation right now,” Fez said. Exasperated, I sighed,

“Yeah and I’m too sober.” Immediately, Fez opened a bottle for me before I chugged half of it. We just laid there, sprawled across this couch, like a modern day, coming-of-age, Renaissance painting.

After a few passing moments of comfortable silence, I cleared my throat and began to walk towards the house for a toilet break.

“Are you gonna finish that?” Rue asked, alluding to the half empty bottle I had put down on the ground.

“Take it. Drink it. Or don’t. I don’t really care,” I lazily yelled behind me, shrugging as I wandered away, a little buzzed from the beer.

“I like that. That’s the Mia I know and love,” she taunted. That wasn’t the Mia she needed.

The rattle of the music was weighing heavy on my ears once again, as I stared at myself in the bathroom mirror. A warmth I hadn’t experienced in a while was emerging from my neck to my cheeks and my cheeks reddened like a child who had just won an annual school race.

“Hello stranger,” I quietly muttered as I wiped away at the mascara on the rim of my bottom eyelid. A year long sobriety, gone, just like that—did I really ever leave the ship? I had stopped drinking after Rue; it felt almost meaningless to drink without her. Sometimes I fantasised about a different childhood for both of us, since it helped me sleep at night. Mr Bennett was still alive. Rue never knew what Valium was. We’d play a Rick James CD loudly in a fort made up of chairs and bedsheets and Leslie would come in and destroy it. Slowly, I’d drift into the most peaceful sleep, not worrying about the cold splash of reality jolting me up the next morning.

All of a sudden, muffled laughs and whistles removed me from my thoughts. I rushed over to the bathroom window facing the patio and saw a growing crowd around the swimming pool. My eyes darted over at the empty couch and immediately I left the bathroom. I pushed through clasped hands and shoved aside lazy bodies as I ran outside and clawed my way through the crowd. I looked down, perplexed, as my eyes locked on to Maddie Perez and some boy fucking in the pool.

It seems questionable to admit but a strange feeling always arises when you spot a pair in public lock lips or touch intimately. Rue and I would search the most weird shit on porn sites with no real intention of fulfilment but the mere fact of witnessing what should be a private moment was both compelling and repulsive all the same. So there I was, unable to tear my eyes away while simultaneously captivated by what exactly was happening in front of me. It was not long before Maddie looked up and took me out of the trance.

“What the fuck do you want?” she scoffed. Any attempt to respond failed as the words were stuck in my throat. Fortunately, it didn’t matter as I was briskly moved away by a taller frame.

“Yeah, that's real classy, you fucking whore.” Nate Jacob’s voice was menacingly low and controlled. Maddy smiled and responded.

“Suck my dick.” The crowd grew loud and I took this as my cue to leave. As I turned my phone began buzzing and I looked down to see a call from my mom. I froze in position, trying to gather a coherent thought to explain exactly why I’d found myself in the position I was in. More importantly, where the fuck was Rue?

I ran to the bathroom to mask the sound of the bass reverberating from the walls, but unfortunately it wasn’t good enough. I found myself in a long hallway leading to a bedroom, which I immediately realised belonged to McKay’s parents. The room was empty and I took the opportunity to answer the call.

“Hey Ma!” I spoke a little too enthusiastically, which was very unlike myself.

“Why are you out of breath, Mia?” she asked, concernedly.

“Ah nothing. You know. Ran down the stairs a little too fast,” I laughed as my mind barely caught up the words I was saying.

“Right.” She wasn’t buying it. “How’s Rue? Leslie didn’t want to call to ask Rue herself.”

“Oh, Rue’s fine. She’s uh. She’s in the bathroom right now. But I mean, is Leslie okay?” I tried to change the focus of the conversation away from Rue.

“Oh yeah. Something about Rue passing a drug test and wanting Rue to feel as though she can be trusted, I don’t know. So I thought maybe I could pass on the message instead to reassure her.” How the fuck did she manage to pass a urine test? “But you know, how are you?”

“Oh it’s great Ma. Just like old times, you know.”Ah shit, “B-but without the drugs you know. Obviously.”

“I know, sweetheart. Well. I’ll let you go now. Love you, Mia.” I responded and disconnected the call as fell back on the bed with a huge sigh of relief.

I turned my head to the right to see a picture frame of McKay with his family on the nightstand. I picked it up and stared. It looked like it could’ve been in an advert for a family holiday resort in Spain or something. Picture. Perfect. I knew better than to assume that; every family has secrets. I remember in fifth grade, Miss Richards explained the idiom ‘the apple not falling far from the tree.’ I was overwhelmed with a sudden feeling of entrapment, as though I was doomed to repeat the mistakes of my forefathers, like some sick familial curse. Is that all we are?

What does McKay carry with him?

I was dragged out of my thoughts as the door swung open and two bustling bodies rushed in. Instinctively, I rolled onto the floor, holding in complete hysteria, unable to comprehend the way this night had turned out. I crawled towards the door as soon as their backs landed on the bed. The sounds of lips smacking increased my resilience while the carpet burned my elbows. As I got to the door, I looked over at the bed as I heard a pained sigh, and saw Kat Hernandez lying on her back with her eyes locked on to mine. A tear slid out her eye as a boy I couldn’t recognise thrusted into her aggressively. My stomach turned as her eyes burned into mine, but I had to leave.

My steps were feeling so heavy as I forced myself down the stairs. I felt like leaning against the wall with my eyes closed until I was exactly where I needed to be. In my home, safe and sound. Then, I caught a glimpse of Rue on the porch. However, as soon as I speed-walked toward her, she disappeared. I ran towards the road only to see her arms flailing in the wind on the back of someone’s bike. My heart dropped and it felt like I failed her for the second time.


End file.
